Kathy Kelly, MLS, C.A.

One of the most bewildering and unsettling aspects of job-hunting after being laid off is the loss of your physical office space. Along with the loss of your work phone number and company business cards, you are suddenly thrust into your new full-time job-hunting task without the orderly atmosphere of a comfortable office environment equipped with all the electronics and supplies you will need.

Perhaps you have a high-powered PC and good office set-up at home. Even so, some who do job hunts from home experience the time-draining distractions/temptations of that locale - the lure of television, hobbies, and odd jobs that would be fine for "non-working" timeslots. Unless you have a lot of discipline or past experience in a home working environment, the likely merge of work and non-work activities can diminish the focus of your search.

You start to realize you may be better off at the coffee shop, where it's common to see job-hunters with their laptops, cell phones, and newspaper employment sections, and even see interviewers meeting with job candidates.

If you decide to perform you job hunt away from home, here are some tips and caveats:

1. Use your university. I discovered to my delight that my university allows alumni access to its computer labs, some of which are open 24 hours a day. As an alumna, you are normally also free to use campus library facilities, and the student cafeteria (where you can bring in a bag lunch to save money). If your former professors are still on campus, you can visit and let them know your status; they may have ideas and connections. Also, the sight of students moving purposefully around campus reminds you of your mission too.

In addition, find out if your university or college has an alumni career network. You may be able to search for graduates of your program, learn where they work, and network with them. You may be able to obtain a permanent alumni e-mail address, and may be welcome to attend your program's periodic career days, where other alumni speak about their jobs. If you can, attend these, and make or renew some career connections. As an alumna, you should also check into discounts for registering for or opportunities for auditing courses, to keep up your lifelong learning in your field.

If you don't live near the college or university you attended, you may want to sign up for a course at an area community college, for access to some of the campus facilities mentioned above.

2. Organize or buy an office supplies kit. At a DCWW lunch I mentioned the amusing array of supplies I now had to cart around (stapler, paper clips, post-its, calculator, highlighter, notebook, etc.), and was told about a commercially available office supplies kit - a case about the size of a hardback book containing these sorts of items. When I happened to enter a department store after the lunch, the kit I'd just heard about practically jumped out at me! Whether you buy an office supplies kit or compile your own, make sure it goes with you on your hunt, so you never have the excuse of calling it a day too early in the day, over the inconvenience of not having a supply cabinet at hand.

3. Get up and out early. You may not be rising as early as you did when you were suiting and commuting, but try to allot at least half of a normal work day to a focused job search and networking. The momentum of this habit will build, and you will soon feel at odds if you don't stick to your schedule - as if you're AWOL from an office job.

4. Pack a briefcase with the files you'll need, and keep it organized. Set up folders for phone lists, jobs to look into, completed applications, resumes/salary history/references information, unemployment compensation records, training and networking events/information, and professional reading.

5. Make sure you have sufficient cell phone minutes and unlimited Internet access. If you were thrifty about these things earlier, you'll need them more now, and better to update your plans than to be surprised by big bills for exceeding your plan limits. Think of the added expense as being offset by the money you'll save by brown-bagging it. (Yes, you need room in your bags to bring lunch as often as possible too...)

6. Read the job-hunting tips offered by DCWW and other sources. These will remind you of additional job-hunting tips applicable to any job-hunting environment, such as the importance of personal business cards, networking, attending professional meetings, volunteering, and interviewing rules. And consider starting a job-hunting group with friends if that would keep you from getting isolated during your search.

7. Don't spread yourself too thin in too many locations. Initially I tried taking care of some pieces of the job search at home, and others at the public library, at convenience shops for copying, faxing, etc. The constant transit can be expensive and disorienting, and some environments are simply better than others. Be aware, for instance, of restrictions on cell phone use and timetables for Internet access at public libraries. Try for fixed locations for fixed periods, rather than end up fixating on hard travelling. Don't forget to ask your friends for ideas about stable environments - they may have home offices that go unused during the day, or extra PCs at small businesses that are available on set schedules.

8. Ask for gift cards. For your friends and loved ones who would love to help you out, be humble and ask for a gift card that might help you treat yourself to something when you're out and about - like good coffee!

9. Maintain your portable office. Use time at home at night, when you're watching those free vidoes you've borrowed from the public library, to weed those files you carry in your briefcase. Throw out the expired job announcements, notices of past events, and other disposeables. Keep the contents of your office to a minimum, so it won't feel like a ball and chain.

Stay positive and energized while you're on the road. Realize that you'll look back on this itinerant period with pride someday, as you recount from the standpoint of future success the time you once merged some hobo habits with high-tech and networking expertise during your job-hunting adventure. And happy trails!

Kathy Kelly is a librarian and Certified Archivist with environmental expertise and web support experience in the federal contracting sector.